US 5,754,765 AGranted

Automatic transport detection by attempting to establish communication session using list of possible transports and corresponding media dependent modules

AssigneeIntel Corporation

InventorsGunner Danneels, Gregory Gates, Rama Prasad

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The transports available in a local computer system for communicating with a remote computer system are automatically determined at either install time or run time. At install time, a list of transports supported by the local computer system is used to determine which supported transports are actually installed in the local computer system and the media dependent modules (MDMs) that correspond to those installed transports. At run time, a list of the installed transports and corresponding MDMs is used to determine which installed transports (and corresponding MDMs) can actually be used for an impending communications session with the remote computer system.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented process for transport detection, comprising the steps of

(a) providing a list of possible transports over which a local computer system communicates with at least one remote computer system;
and
(b) automatically identifying, at run time, a subset of the list of possible transports that are available for communications with the remote computer system, wherein:
the list of possible transports corresponds to transports installed in the local computer system and corresponding MDMs;
the subset of the list of possible transports corresponds to transports that can be used by the local computer system for an impending communications session with the remote computer system;
and
for each installed transport, step (b) comprises the steps of:
(1) attempting, by a network independent layer of the local computer system, to begin the communications session using a specified transport by calling a begin-session function into a network dependent layer of the local computer system;
(2) attempting, by the network dependent layer, to begin the communications session using the list of installed transports and corresponding MDMs, by loading an MDM corresponding to the specified transport and instructing the MDM to attempt to communicate with a corresponding network stack;
(3) if the MDM's attempt to communicate with the corresponding network stack is successful, then identifying the specified transport as one of the transports that can be used by the local computer system for the impending communications session with the remote computer system;
and
(4) if the MDM's attempt to communicate with the corresponding network stack is unsuccessful, then rejecting the specified transport as one of the transports that can be used by the local computer system for the impending communications session with the remote computer system.

9 more elements

An apparatus for transport detection, comprising:

(a) a list of possible transports over which a local computer system communicates with at least one remote computer system;
and
(b) a network independent layer and a network dependent layer of the local computer system, adapted to automatically identify, at run time, a subset of the list of possible transports that are available for communications with the remote computer system, wherein:
the list of possible transports corresponds to transports installed in the local computer system and corresponding MDMs;
the subset of the list of possible transports corresponds to transports that can be used by the local computer system for an impending communications session with the remote computer system;
and
for each installed transport:
the network independent layer attempts to begin the communications session using a specified transport by calling a begin-session function into the network dependent layer;
the network dependent layer attempts to begin the communications session using the list of installed transports and corresponding MDMs, by loading an MDM corresponding to the specified transport and instructing the MDM to attempt to communicate with a corresponding network stack;
if the MDM's attempt to communicate with the corresponding network stack is successful, then the network independent layer identifies the specified transport as one of the transports that can be used by the local computer system for the impending communications session with the remote computer system;
and
if the MDM's attempt to communicate with the corresponding network stack is unsuccessful, then the network independent layer rejects the specified transport as one of the transports that can be used by the local computer system for the impending communications session with the remote computer system.

9 more elements

A computer program embodied in a tangible medium, wherein, when the computer program is loaded into and executed by a local computer system:

the local computer system provides a list of possible transports over which the local computer system communicates with at least one remote computer system;
and
the local computer system automatically identifies, at run time, a subset of the list of possible transports that are available for communications with the remote computer system, wherein:
the list of possible transports corresponds to transports installed in the local computer system and corresponding MDMs;
the subset of the list of possible transports corresponds to transports that can be used by the local computer system for an impending communications session with the remote computer system;
and
the local computer system comprises a network independent layer of the local computer system and a network dependent layer of the local computer system;
and
for each installed transport:
the network independent layer attempts to begin the communications session using a specified transport by calling a begin-session function into the network dependent layer;
the network dependent layer attempts to begin the communications session using the list of installed transports and corresponding MDMs, by loading an MDM corresponding to the specified transport and instructing the MDM to attempt to communicate with a corresponding network stack;
if the MDM's attempt to communicate with the corresponding network stack is successful, then the local computer system identifies the specified transport as one of the transports that can be used by the local computer system for the impending communications session with the remote computer system;
and
if the MDM's attempt to communicate with the corresponding network stack is unsuccessful, then the local computer system rejects the specified transport as one of the transports that can be used by the local computer system for the impending communications session with the remote computer system.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/467,279Filed 6 Jun 1995 · continuation
Priority: 24 Nov 1993
Granted: 19 May 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04N 21/643
Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between…:…
G06T 1/00
General purpose image data processing
H04M 3/567
Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities: multimedia conference systems
H04N 7/15
Systems for two-way working: conference systems

Family

Serial157,694Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 24 Nov 1993
Serial370,172Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Nov 1994
Serial341,402Parent of this continuation · filed 16 Nov 1994
US 5,524,110 AParent of this continuation
US 5,506,954 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,754,765 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.